rockoman Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Hello. First, I'm new here. So, this is a brief introduction. Now that that's out of the way, I have a quick question to ask for the people who installed Appradio on their own. How difficult is it? I'm fairly good for eletronics, computers and whatnot. I've never installed anything into a car, but I can find my way around. I just bought an Appradio and plan to try to install it myself, since Best Buy charges 120 bucks, which I don't really have. Was it hard to install it? Or is it pretty straightforward? I'm reading through the manual now to get a quick understanding of everything, but I just wanted to know from experience. Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikedecaro Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 The install itself isn't too bad if you know how to solder. The only problem I had was figuring out how to wire the single set of RCA outs to my amp. I was in the same situation as you when I got mine. Just go for it. You'll learn a lot on the way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockoman Posted May 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 The install itself isn't too bad if you know how to solder. The only problem I had was figuring out how to wire the single set of RCA outs to my amp. I was in the same situation as you when I got mine. Just go for it. You'll learn a lot on the way. Thanks. I am kind of nervous, but I guess when I actually see everything, it'll become clearer. EDIT: One more question. Do I need to buy anything extra? Is everything I need in the box? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikedecaro Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 Do I need to buy anything extra? Is everything I need in the box? Depends on your setup. I got the first AppRadio with the single set of RCA outs. My car already had an amp with a sub so I had to buy something extra to lower the line levels before going into the amp. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
late Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 You'll need a wiring harness for your car to hook up to Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockoman Posted May 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 Depends on your setup. I got the first AppRadio with the single set of RCA outs. My car already had an amp with a sub so I had to buy something extra to lower the line levels before going into the amp. Well, I just have the 4 speakers that my car came with. I don't really need subs and amps. I did open it up today, and it looks really simple. Just a single harness that I plug in. I'm going to look at some of the stores in the area for a wiring harness and do most of the work indoors. I'm guessing the only part that will pose any kind of a challenge is the brake wire, reverse wire and whatnot. I'll have to read up on how to get to mine. Thanks for all of the answers. You've been a great help. Can't wait to get my radio hooked up. You'll need a wiring harness for your car to hook up to I just found out about that. I was wondering how all of those cables would fit in the radio. Thanks for the answers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikedecaro Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 I recommend not hooking up the parking brake wire. Buy a switch from a car parts store and run it to that. Prevents a lot of issues in the future with running apps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hdsportguy Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 You will also need a mounting kit that fits your car. Also if you want video in motion you will need the switch that was talked about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockoman Posted May 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Alright, so I had already bought a relay, but I'm reading that there are problems with that. I did see a workaround in the pinned thread. Might see how that works before I buy the switch. Also, turns out I needed an antenna adapter. The radios antenna feed is a jack, but the cars antenna is a wire harness. Have to wait for that to come in now. I guess it'll be in by the time the harness and relay get here. Luckily, my factory mount wings fit the radio. So, that's less trouble for me. 😊 So, new date is Wednesday. Man, I'm ready to put this thing in. Won't be getting a backup cam just yet. So i won't worry with connecting the reverse wire. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
late Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Alright, so I had already bought a relay, but I'm reading that there are problems with that. I did see a workaround in the pinned thread. Might see how that works before I buy the switch. Also, turns out I needed an antenna adapter. The radios antenna feed is a jack, but the cars antenna is a wire harness. Have to wait for that to come in now. I guess it'll be in by the time the harness and relay get here. Luckily, my factory mount wings fit the radio. So, that's less trouble for me. í ½í¸Š So, new date is Wednesday. Man, I'm ready to put this thing in. Won't be getting a backup cam just yet. So i won't worry with connecting the reverse wire. with the new firmware versions released by pioneer, the relay will not work, its nice to have that auto feature but id stick with a switch and firmware updates. the switch is real easy, just remove the clip at the end of the ebrake wire and connect it to pin 1 of the switch and then connect pin2 to ground, thats all you need to do! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrluke Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 The old way used to be attaching the handbrake cable to the Ground cable in the wiring Harness , Is this not a option anymore ? Been a while since i had a player that required it ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikedecaro Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 The old way used to be attaching the handbrake cable to the Ground cable in the wiring Harness , Is this not a option anymore ? Nope, they make you toggle it on/off/on now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1loudls Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 to accurately tell you how hard the install will be, we need to know exactly what kind of car it is going into, some cars are easy and anyone should be able to handle it, even first timers, however, there are some cars that will be quite challenging. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockoman Posted May 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 I got it installed. It wasn't too complicated. I used a harness, so all I really had to do was "plug and play." The hardest part was trying to find a way to hide all of the wires. I did run into a little trouble with the look of the radio, however. I'm going to have to get a trim ring because there's a small gap around the radio. The screen also protrudes out of the dash a bit. I guess I'll have to find a custom mount or something so that the screen can be flush with the dash (or at least not stick out as much as it is). I can probably post pics later. Anyone have any ideas? I'm in a Nissan Versa. Thanks again for all of the help you guys have given me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1loudls Posted May 19, 2012 Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 for the versa, did you use a plastic dash kit or the factory metal brackets? If you used the factory brackets, you can drill new holes to be able to mount the radio a little deeper in the dash so it doesn't stick so far out.but this wont help with gap from the slightly bigger OEM Nissan radio. but if you used the dash kit, it should have came with a little piece of trim plastic to fill the gap around the radio, and most brands of dash kits have slotted mounting holes so that you can adjust how far the radio sticks out as different brands can vary a bit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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